Ring is launching a new feature that will leverage its vast network of home security cameras to solve a common problem in residential areas: missing dogs.
On Wednesday, Ring announced a new free function called Search Party, which allows users with outdoor-facing cameras to help their neighbors track down missing dogs with the help of artificial intelligence.
Homeowners and renters enrolled in the program can help in the search without grabbing a flashlight or walking the streets with a whistle and treats.
When a neighbor reports their dog as missing in the Ring app, nearby cameras enrolled in Search Party will begin scouring for any trace of the missing pet.
Using an undisclosed AI technology, the cameras will look for possible matches and then send a notification to the camera owner if it believes the dog has been spotted. The notification will include a photo of the lost dog and any relevant footage captured, Ring says.
The camera owner can then decide whether or not to share that video footage with the neighbor in need or simply ignore it. Those Ring users who aren’t interested in the program at all can opt out when it goes live in November.
Ring says this latest feature is part of an ongoing effort of “supercharging neighbors helping neighbors.”
“Simple, privacy-first features like Search Party make it easier to look out for each other and build the kind of neighborhood we all want to live in,” Ring founder Jamie Siminoff said in the announcement. Siminoff said he believes safer neighborhoods should also include pets in the equation.
Search Party is set to launch next month in select areas. Siminoff says the company hopes to include technology to spot missing cats in future updates.
For more information, click here.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
